What Does Lobster Taste Like And How To Prepare It?

If you’ve never had lobster, you probably don’t understand what the hubbub is all about. Lobster, often viewed as a delicacy, is eaten in a number of different cultures and has quite the interesting history. Surprisingly, many people in the world have never tried the notorious crustacean. The question, “What does lobster taste like?” is a hard one to answer, but you can better understand what lobster tastes like by learning what it tastes like in comparison to other foods and what it goes well with.

What Does Lobster Taste Like?

Lobster has a unique flavor, which is why lobster is more expensive than other shellfish. While the taste is similar to crab, it isn’t the same. Lobster has a lighter, sweeter taste than crab.

Lobster’s texture is part of its charm. The texture can be found on a scale between crab and shrimp. While lobster isn’t super flakey like crab, it isn’t as chewy as shrimp. Lobster is sometimes described as melt-in-your-mouth.

Generally, lobster is served with butter. The butter makes the shellfish moister and adds some much needed fat to a very lean protein. Lobster is even leaner than chicken.

Like most seafood, lobster is often described as fishy. Fresh lobster won’t have an overwhelming smell or taste of that fishiness many people complain about. If your lobster does smell or taste extremely fishy, it is probably old and shouldn’t be consumed.

The best way to understand how lobster tastes is to go out and try it. If you are nervous about trying it, you may consider trying it in a dish, instead of as a stand-alone entrée.

What is Lobster’s History as Cuisine?

Lobster wasn’t always the fancy dish we consider it today. In the past, lobster was actually the opposite of high-class. In the early days of the United States, lobster was so plentiful that it was only considered fit for poor people, servants and prisoners. Native Americans in the Northeastern United States even used lobsters as bait to catch other fish and as fertilizer.

In the 1880s, things changed for the lobster. Lobster began to gain a following in the Northeastern states and prices started to rise. By World War II, lobster was a delicacy. Only the wealthy could afford to eat lobster, and that only increased the price of the precious crustacean.

Learn more about the history of lobster with this short video.

How Can You Cook Lobster?

If you want to learn to cook lobster at home, you need to be forewarned that it isn’t an easy process. Finding live lobster can be tricky, but it is crucial to get live lobster if you want your dish to be as delicious as possible. You will want to purchase the lobster the day you are going to prepare it.

The first you will want to store your lobster properly before you cook it. Refrigerate the live lobster in seawater or wrapped up in a wet cloth in ice.

Cooking lobster seems easy, but follow these steps and you will have great lobster in no time. For this example, let’s say you purchased two 1-pound lobsters.

Bring 8 quarters of water to a boil in a 20-quart kettle or canning pot that has a lid. Be sure to salt the water.

While the water comes to a boil, you will need to rinse each lobster. To do this, grab the lobster behind the eyes and rinse under cold water. Then, quickly plunge each lobster into the boiling water and cover the pot.

Set a timer to 15 minutes. You can tell the lobsters are done cooking when they turn bright red and the tails curl under.

To remove the meat from the shell, flip the lobster on its back and twist the tail and body in opposite directions under the tail comes off. Using kitchen scissors, you will want to cut the tail membrane, which exposes the tail meat. Then, remove the black vein in the tail and pop out the meat.

Remove the claws by twisting them off. Use a nutcracker to break the claws open. Gently pull the meat out of the claw.

Using the nutcracker, you need to open the body and pull out the rest of the meat with a small fork.

For a quick tutorial on preparing lobster check out this video.

What Should You Eat with Lobster?

Boiled lobster is typically served with clarified butter. Common side dishes for lobster include corn, green beans, asparagus, rice, pasta and risotto. While boiled lobster is one of the most common presentations of lobster, but lobster meat is also good in dishes, as well.

Lobster bisques, macaroni and cheeses and raviolis are very common in restaurants across the country. Lobster is a common meat in salads, as well. Other seafood pairs well with lobster, which is why you can often find lobster included in seafood platters or multi-seafood dishes.

If you go to a restaurant, lobster dishes generally come with at least one vegetable. A starch will help the meal feel more complete, and many times, restaurants will pair lobster with a starch of some sort.

Conclusion

So, what does lobster taste like? Lobster’s meaty texture and subtle shellfish taste makes it a great lean protein option for those who are bored with chicken or other shellfish dishes. Lobster’s unique flavor is one that goes well with a variety of different side dishes and fits well in a number of different meals. Go out and try lobster! If you feel really bold, you could even try to make it yourself.

Monica Henin

I'm Monica a traditional Asian woman, founder of Addon Kitchen, and I’m absolutely in love with food & kitchen utensil blogs. I’m a foodie and like cooking for my small family. Being the mother of 2 kids one boy and girl. My husband is an electrician, my small family lives in Chicago IL...

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